SLU Law School remaking downtown landscape

Saint Louis University has tapped the Lawrence Group to design its new law school building downtown and hired Clayco Inc. as the builder.

The 11-story building at 100 N. Tucker Blvd., which was donated to SLU by Scott Properties owner Joe Scott and his wife, Loretta, will be completely redone before 1,100 students, faculty and staff move in next fall, according to Lawrence Group President Steve Smith.

SLU officials declined to say how much they are spending on construction at the new law center, but the building’s 185,000 square feet of usable space will include a library, mock courtroom and a lobby-level function space. Clayco will have 150 workers on the job, set to start in March, and the Lawrence Group will rely on a core design team of a half dozen.

SLU President Rev. Lawrence Biondi said in a statement that the move would create advantages for students, but also presents an opportunity for housing, restaurant and retail development. “This move will bring more than 1,000 people into the heart of downtown St. Louis every day,” he said. “We believe the potential impact of our historic move is going to be tremendous.”

Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay, said he’s received inquiries from investors and developers interested in creating housing and retail that would appeal to SLU students and faculty. “People are paying attention,” he said. “I expect it will be a major catalyst.”

Outside of the building’s design and construction, one urgent need is parking, since 100 N. Tucker only has 150 spots in the building. Smith’s nearby Park Pacific mixed-use development has 150 public parking spaces that it could lease to SLU, Smith said.

Hilliker Corp. holds the deed for 350 out of 550 spots at 300 N. Tucker and could lease 200 spaces to SLU, said president H. Meade Summers III, who declined to disclose the rates. Central Parking, which controls the other 200 spaces in the building, charges $85 monthly.

St. Louis Parking Co. is one of downtown’s largest parking operators, with 100 parking facilities downtown. Chairman Jack Pohrer said the family-owned company is working with SLU. “We have things available and things that are close,” he said.

Developers also are counting on SLU students to live downtown. The 230-unit Park Pacific is closest to the law school, and with 140 units leased, it has 90 units available. Also on Tucker is the Jefferson Arms, which the McGowan Brothers Development Corp. is redeveloping.

Tim McGowan said he hopes the arrival of SLU students helps him secure financing for the $110 million project. He envisions up to 450 units and said he’d offer below-market pricing, between $650 and $850 a month for a two-bed, two-bath unit. Already, he’s partnered with Teach for America and will offer units to Teach for America teachers, but there will be several hundred units available for SLU students, he said.

In addition to the existing residential buildings, other properties could soon be in play.

Chris McKee, owner and president of Optimus LLC, which redeveloped the Peabody Opera House, said Optimus has doubled its efforts to identify housing and retail development opportunities following the SLU announcement. “How often do 1,100 employees and students move into your community?” he said. “We are looking at a whole bunch of opportunities.”

New York-based Nassimi Realty, owner of the Millennium Center at 515 Olive St., hired consultants within the past year to explore a possible conversion of the 260,000-square-foot office building into 100 residential units. Oliver Nassimi, vice president, said there are no immediate plans to go residential, but said the SLU announcement “absolutely factors into the thought process” for the future.

In the food arena, Papa John’s at 316 N. Tucker Blvd. is bracing for a boom, according to Manager James Miles. And real estate brokers in the area said restaurateurs are looking at vacant storefronts with new eyes.

Lawrence Group’s Smith is fielding a “notable uptick” in inquiries regarding 23,000 square feet of available retail space at the Park Pacific, including 16,500 square feet facing Tucker that could include a drive-through. “Parties that didn’t have interest earlier have expressed interest,” he said.

Since SLU’s announcement, Solon Gershman’s Stephen Symsack said he’s had three calls about the former Tanner B’s space on Pine Street, which has been vacant for two years. The 7,500-square-foot space is listed at $12 a square foot modified gross. “Tucker was a dead zone,” he said. “These kids are just going to totally redo the landscape.”